Moe feels Ottawa’s goal to phase out coal by 2030 is not realistic

Premier Scott Moe and the federal government have very different ideas of when and how Canada can reach net-zero carbon emissions from power generation.

In 2016, Ottawa announced unabated coal-fired electricity will be phased out by 2030.

According to the federal government’s website, operating a coal-fired power plant will not be possible without the use of carbon capture and storage technology as a result of the ban.

“Currently, only the Boundary Dam 3 coal power plant in Saskatchewan uses this technology,” the website said.

Moe told reporters Tuesday in Regina that it’s not realistic to expect the province can just shut down coal power plants by 2030.

“This isn’t about SaskPower and the province not continuing their march towards greening our power grid. It’s about what’s possible versus some ideological policy that may come from another level of government,” Moe said after delivering a keynote address at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference.

Moe said the province will continue moving toward renewable energy sources with the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, which won’t meet Ottawa’s target of having a net-zero emissions grid by 2035.

As for what a transition towards renewable energy would look like in Saskatchewan, the premier said more information will be announced over the next number of months.

During his speech, Moe touted the provincial government’s Sustainable Saskatchewan campaign, which includes advertisements scattered at airports across the country.

“That campaign is designed to tell a story about this province and the industries that are operating in this province,” he said. “I would say (it has been) largely under-reported in mainstream media in this province and across the nation.”

Moe also said he feels it’s underappreciated by the federal government, adding he believes it conveys important facts to Canadians and potential customers abroad.

“Saskatchewan’s enhanced oil recovery program has sequestered enough carbon now to make 4.5 million homes energy neutral by the end of the year,” the premier claimed. “We’re telling the world about Saskatchewan’s sustainable energy producers in all industries.”

Aleana Young, the opposition NDP’s critic for SaskPower, energy and resources, was also at the conference. She told reporters the province has been dragging its feet when it comes to renewable energy sources.

“First of all, (government officials) have been dinosaurs on renewables, which has put us 15 years behind other provinces and energy security is critical,” she said. “With this government, we see an ongoing commitment to … make investments that are not in Saskatchewan … I fail to see how that’s creating energy security in Saskatchewan or good-paying jobs for Saskatchewan people.”

Young said Saskatchewan was a world leader in carbon capture and storage — the same technology that would allow coal plants to operate after 2030.

“We have seen nothing from this government for 15 years and now we see huge amounts of money flowing to Alberta, while Saskatchewan sits idly by,” she added.

However, Young does see eye to eye with the government when it comes to Ottawa’s clean power generation targets.

“2035 is for sure too far too fast, when you look at a jurisdiction like Saskatchewan. We do have challenges compared to other places that may have different power generating options … Hydro’s the obvious one,” she said.

“If this government had actually been getting to those tables, ensuring that there’s dialogue, and ensuring that some of those federal dollars … to help green the electrical grid were going to Saskatchewan, we would be a lot farther ahead than we are now.”